The present invention relates to an acceleration switch.
More particularly, it relates to an acceleration switch which has a tilting body operating as a seismic mass and releasing a control signal upon exceeding a predetermined threshold value.
Acceleration switches of the above-mentioned general type are known in the art. In a known acceleration switch a tilting body is an elongated member and operates as a seismic mass in a bucket-shaped housing. A permanent magnet is arranged in an end side of the tilting body and is in operative connection with a reed switch. Due to the alternating action between the permanent magnet and the metal contacts of the reed switch, a relatively low pulling force of the tilting body is provided. Thereby, the rate force of the tilting body is insignificantly changed, which leads to a dispersion of the release values of different acceleration switches in a series. This air gap-dependent dispersion of the release value influences the reliability of the acceleration switch disclosed in the German patent document DE-OS 40 36 567.0.